Australia is a very unforgiving place. Of all the places humans currently live in in large numbers, it is perhaps one of the most challenging because of its climate, terrain, and pretty much everything else. And such conditions usually ignite human imagination.
Where else can you see road trains, monstrous trucks made of one tractor head and a seemingly unending number of trailers? Where else would engineers have envisioned coupe pickups and called them utes? Where, if not in Australia, you get the chance to see a Mercedes-Benz motorhome unlike any other?
What we have in the gallery above is a Mercedes-Benz G Professional, handled by a local group that calls itself EarthCruiser and that for the past quarter of the century has been providing locals with unique overland expedition vehicles.
Usually in the business of converting different types of Mitsubishis or Fords, EarthCruiser presented the Escape last year, as they call their interpretation of the G-Class. And it is the perfect getaway machine from all that’s going on in the world right now.
EarthCruiser did not tamper with the mechanics of the Mercedes, but they did add so many things to it that they turned it into a mobile home you could possibly drive for years on end.
The first thing one notices when looking at this G-Wagen is the added hardware at the rear. Under the white panels the company hid a dinette that doubles as a sleeping area, a bathroom with retractable toilet and a wet-shower, and of course a kitchen complete with a fridge.
Then, safety. Aside from the fact that it looks nearly bulletproof (it’s not), the Escape packs a multitude of cameras that can be accessed via a touchscreen mounted in the place of the rearview mirror. They cover the back, sides and even front, and are backed up by an emergency light bar high on top of the car.
Power for all the extras fitted on the vehicle comes from lithium batteries that can also be recharged by means of solar power. They also feed the electricity needed for the rooftop, steps and sunshade to operate.
According to Expedition Portal, the price for an Escape is over $200,000, but the vehicle is not listed on the EarthCruiser website at the time of this writing.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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